Anne Bancroft at 46????

Uh...isn't that kind of the point of the story?
For that matter, can you spell "Margot Fonteyn?"

It would not have been better to make her character something other than a dancer. A big part of the pathos of that character and her situation is that she devoted herself so thoroughly to that career, and is now at a point where she's been the top star for quite awhile, is still a star, but will have to move over and move on very soon. She's passed up some of what would have been possible options (including the man who wanted to marry her earlier, but no more) by clinging to her role as ballerina. It is not unheard of for a 46-year-old to still be dancing leads with ballet companies. Others have mentioned Margot Fonteyn (who had to continue dancing longer than she apparently wanted to, because of financial hardship). One legendary example is Alicia Alonso, who was almost freakish in that regard, danced all over the world, founded the Ballet Nacional de Cuba, and who is still pretty much revered by the Cuban public (and ballet lovers everywhere). Two more recent examples, off the top of my head, are Evelyn Hart and Sylvie Guillem.

Bancroft's age was irrelevant in the movie. From her first entrance, she gave the impression of being a ballet star and that's all that matters. I'm guessing she had to lose quite a bit of weight for this movie, she was so thin. That, combined with her beautiful face, was enough for the role. She actually didn't dance, per se, at all in the movie. All her "moves" could have been done by anyone. In sum, I thought she was excellent in her role.

I think what the OP was trying to ask, is, is it highly unusual that a ballerina still be dancing in major roles at 46. And the answer is no, not really. It does happen.

She wasn't critizing the movie or Anne, just wondering if it was a believable scenario. sheesh.



...and I am just going to have to feel this way until I DON'T feel this way ANYMORE!

Anne Bancroft's character was probably meant to be somewhat younger.

Maybe 41 or 42.

There is a principal ballerina in the American Ballet Theater right now who is in her early 40s (perhaps 42).

Her name is Julie Kent.

She was an adviser on the "Black Swan" movie.

It's not so unusual - at least, not in companies which don't forcibly retire dancers at 40 like, for example, the Paris Opera Ballet does. Leanne Benjamin is currently, I think, 47 and still senior ballerina with the Royal Ballet in London, and her former colleague, Miyako Yoshida, although no longer dancing with the company, is still dancing in Japan, which is now her base. Plus there's Sylvie Guillem, who I think is 46 and is still dancing the odd ballet role - she danced Manon at La Scala to great acclaim only a few months ago. It does have to be said that all three women aren't dancing all the roles they used to when they were younger, though, either because they no longer feel comfortable with them or have just got rather bored with them. Further back, I think Lesley Collier danced with the Royal Ballet until she was about 50, and the American ballerina Eva Evdokimova and the Russian Ekaterina Maximova were still dancing certain roles at around that age. Benjamin, in particular, is probably a more credible 13-year-old Juliet than anyone else in the company!

Mind you, perhaps it's the 70s makeup, but I thought Bancroft looked rather older than any of the mid-40s dancers I've mentioned above currently do.

Alicia Alonso danced into her geriatric years.






"Joey, have you ever been in a Turkish prison?"

If you noticed, she was getting edged out when they told her she would be directing the next year's ballet. Ballet companies used to require the ballerina to retire at 42, but that meant they were s out of the company as principal dancers. Some went on to solo performances and guest star appearances. With today's better health care, vitamins and sports medicine, there is no reason a dancer cannot continue until she is 60. Margot Fonteyn did.